The Project
Soft felling, down to 3m monoliths, of several large, dead and dangerous oak trees overhanging the highway and power lines along busy Forest Road in Binfield.
L.Smith Tree Surgery was instructed by the Local Authority to section-fell several standing-dead English Oaks, adjacent to Forest Road and overhanging power lines, to 3m monoliths. The trees represented potential habitat for protected species so careful, staged reductions were required to allow for regular checks.
Liaison with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks was required in order to arrange power line sheathing in advance.
Detailed risk assessment and method statement documents were provided to the client in advance.
Single-lane road closure with traffic management using temporary traffic lights was arranged. The section of road closed to traffic was moved along when our team proceeded to another tree in preference to closing a longer section of road unnecessarily.
Over a two day period, the trees were soft-felled in sections with the aid of MEWP (mobile elevated work platform) and crane, to mitigate risk to protected species and to road users. Our teams and traffic management kept regular, clear radio communication throughout works. At all times, we were prepared for inspections by Local Authority representatives and a qualified ecologist.
All green waste and timber was then removed from site to be recycled, leaving the road and verge clear of debris. A timber forwarder was used to remove the largest sections of timber.